Jack Black Pinned By ‘Cars’ In Close Box-Office Match

Not even the allure of Jack Black leaping and fighting in spandex could knock “Cars” off its course at the box office this weekend.

The animated Disney-Pixar flick held tight to the #1 position at the box office, fending off newcomers including “Nacho Libre” by earning more than $31.1 million. “Cars” features the voices of Owen Wilson and Paul Newman and centers on a racecar whose quest for speed takes a detour in a slow-moving small town.

Coming in close behind this week is “Nacho Libre,” which debuted at #2 with more than $27.5 million. The comedy stars Black as a cook in a Mexican monastery who decides to become a Lucha Libre wrestler to earn money to buy better food for the children living in an orphanage. Though Nacho is a skilled wrestler, he must hide his side hustle from the elders at the monastery who have forbidden anyone from participating in the sport (see “Tights, Camera, Action: Jack Fights For Good In ‘Nacho Libre’ “)
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Another car flick (this one aimed at adults) zoomed into the top 10 this week. “The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift,” the third installment in the street-racing series, bowed at #3 with more than $24 million. Lucas Black stars in the film about a racer who moves to Tokyo to escape the watching eyes of the authorities in his hometown, and finds new action in the underground world of drift racing (see ” ‘The Fast And The Furious’ — Now With Brains Under The Hood “
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Opening at #4 with more than $13.6 million is “The Lake House,” starring Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock as would-be lovers who find their romance stunted by a wrinkle in time that has them living two years apart.

With three new releases debuting strongly this week, “The Break-Up” tumbled from #2 to #5 with more than $9.5 million. The romantic comedy stars Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn as a couple who agree to split but can’t see eye to eye on who should get the apartment they share, and decide instead to live there together anyway (see “Aniston And Vaughn Fight For Laughs In The So-Familiar-It-Hurts ‘Break-Up’ “)
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“Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties” bowed at #6 with $7.2 million. The film, which mixes live actors and animated animals, finds Garfield involved in a case of mistaken identity. When he follows his owner, Jon Arbuckle, to England, Garfield is believed to be a more noble cat who has recently inherited a castle.

Rounding out the box-office top 10 this week are “X-Men: The Last Stand,” which falls from #3 to #7 with more than $7.1 million; “The Omen,” which drops from #4 to #8 with more than $5.3 million; “The Da Vinci Code,” which slips from #5 to #9 with $5 million; and “Over the Hedge,” which slides from #6 to #10 with more than $4 million.

Overall, ticket sales were up from the corresponding weekend last year.

Next week, look for “Click” and “Waist Deep” to debut on the box-office top 10.